Siemens PLM Software Joins General Motors and the US Department of Energy to Sponsor the EcoCAR 2 Student Engineering Competition Series

Siemens PLM Software today announced that it will join General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in sponsoring the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future program. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory, the EcoCAR 2 program aims to introduce energy-efficient technologies to help reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. EcoCAR 2 requires students to explore a variety of powertrain architectures focusing on electric drive vehicle technology.

As a sponsor, Siemens PLM Software will provide in-kind software grants with a combined value of $476.1 million to the 15 universities across North America participating in EcoCAR 2. The in-kind software grant will be made through Siemens PLM Software’s successful GO PLM™ program, which provides PLM technology to more than one million students yearly at nearly 11,200 global institutions, where it is used at every academic level – from grade schools to graduate engineering research programs.

“We are delighted to have Siemens PLM Software on board as an industry sponsor for EcoCAR 2,” said Kristen De La Rosa, Director of Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions at Argonne National Laboratory and the EcoCAR 2 program. “Their support will provide students hands-on experience with leading- technologies, and the opportunity to learn how to apply these technologies to the real-world challenge of improving energy efficiency. EcoCAR 2 provides the next generation of automotive industry leaders with the tools and experience they need to guide us to a sustainable transportation future.”

“Siemens PLM Software is proud to sponsor the EcoCAR 2 competition series as it fits perfectly in our broader effort to develop and nurture partnerships that provide significant value for academic institutions to help develop top-notch engineers and technologists,” said Bill Boswell, senior director, Partner Strategy, Siemens PLM Software. “Siemens PLM Software provides EcoCAR 2 universities with access to industry-leading PLM technology, which otherwise would be out of reach for the academic community, giving students a distinct advantage by being able to use the same PLM technology widely-used by leading multi-national manufacturing companies around the globe.”

EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future

EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future, is a three-year collegiate engineering competition and the only program of its kind. The competition's mission is a vital one: offer an unparalleled hands-on, real-world experience to educate the next generation of automotive engineers. The competition challenges 15 universities across North America to reduce the environmental impact of a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, donated by GM, without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability.

During the three-year program EcoCAR 2 teams will follow a real-world Vehicle Development Process (VDP) modeled after GM's VDP. The VDP serves as a roadmap for the engineering process of designing, building and refining their advanced technology vehicles. Following a VDP will give the teams an opportunity to improve their vehicles efficiency while retaining consumer acceptability, performance and safety.

The first year of EcoCAR 2 will emphasize vehicle simulation, powertrain testing and engineering trade-offs that occur in the early stages of vehicle design. Competitions will be held at the end of each academic year to showcase the teams’ learning and vehicle development. Siemens PLM Software will help judge the teams’ progress in the annual competition.

Established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), EcoCAR 2 builds upon a successful 23-year history of DOE Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC) that exemplify the power of public/private partnerships in providing invaluable experience and training to promising young minds entering the North American job market. EcoCAR 2 follows the widely acclaimed competition series EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. Additional information about EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future is available on the Web at www.ecocar2.org.

Following is the list of 15 universities across North America that are participating in the EcoCAR 2 competition: California State University Los Angeles, Colorado State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Victoria, University of Washington, University of Waterloo, Virginia Tech, and Wayne State University.